I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

The gazes on the training ground were like fine needles, piercing Qin Yuan.

His expression was calm, as if the doubts, contempt, and scrutiny were nothing more than the wind sweeping across the mountain rocks.

The tenth level of Qi Refining? That's not really high.

But the surging power within him told him that his true combat strength was far beyond what his superficial level could measure.

"Since Senior Brother Chen agrees, then count him in." The tall, thin Senior Brother Wang snorted coldly and turned his face away. "I just hope that some people won't hold us back and make the Seventh Peak laugh at us for no reason."

Lin Qing'er wanted to argue, but Qin Yuan gently pulled her wrist.

"The competition will be held tomorrow," Qin Yuan said, his voice not loud, but it silenced the room. "It's too early to draw conclusions today."

Senior Brother Chen gave him a deep look, then waved his hand: "Disperse, everyone. Recharge your energy. We'll meet here tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM)."

The crowd dispersed. Lin Qing'er arranged a secluded inn at the foot of the third peak for Qin Yuan, gave him a few instructions, and then left.

The room was much better than the one outside the door. The floor was paved with blue bricks, the windows were bright and clean, and there was even a faint wisp of spiritual energy seeping from the earth's veins. Qin Yuan closed the door and sat cross-legged on the couch.

The system panel appears:

[Host: Qin Yuan]

[Cultivation Level: Qi Refining Level 10]

[Cultivation Points Available for Extraction: 10 years (Not extracted today)]

[Next refresh: Four hours later]

There are still four hours left in the ion time. But the competition is tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), and once Zishi (11 PM-1 AM) has passed, he will be able to extract another ten years of cultivation, enough to make another breakthrough before the competition.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, first guiding the ten years of cultivation that could be extracted today into his body.

boom--

The familiar torrent surged once more. The barrier of the tenth level of Qi Refining was several times stronger than before, but under the impact of ten years of cultivation, it still began to loosen.

Two hours later, the barrier shattered, and spiritual energy surged into a wider range of meridians.

Qi Refining Level 11.

Qin Yuan opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air. He could feel that with each level he advanced, the system's conversion efficiency of cultivation power increased—like a bucket getting bigger, able to hold more water.

The sky outside the window was gradually darkening.

He sat quietly, regulating his breathing, waiting for midnight.

At the same time, on the Seventh Peak, in Liu Feng's secluded courtyard.

"Senior brother, I've found out." A disciple in blue robes bowed and reported, "The one who temporarily filled the vacancy on the Third Peak is named Qin Yuan, the outer disciple who crippled Zhao Hu yesterday."

Liu Feng was polishing a longsword, its blade reflecting the candlelight, a cold glint in its light. Without pausing, he asked, "What's your cultivation level?"

"It is said to be the tenth level of Qi Refining."

The wiping motion paused.

"Ten floors?" Liu Feng raised an eyebrow. "He was only on the seventh floor yesterday."

"Yes, some people on the Third Peak also have doubts, saying that he used an evil method that burns lifespan to forcibly improve his abilities." The disciple in blue lowered his voice, "Many people are talking about how this kid will stop at nothing to achieve quick success and that he has an evil heart."

Liu Feng chuckled and continued wiping his sword.

A heretical method that burns away one's lifespan? That makes sense. What other way could a useless person with mixed elemental roots possibly gain strength quickly to take revenge but by taking an evil path?

It's just a pity about his pitiful lifespan; he probably won't live past thirty.

"It's nothing but an ant's struggle," he said calmly. "In tomorrow's competition, let our Peak people 'take care' of him. Since he dared to cripple Zhao Hu, he'll have to pay the price."

"Yes!" The disciple in blue accepted the order, then hesitated for a moment, "However, Senior Brother, Chen Mo of the Third Peak is at the Great Perfection of the Twelfth Level of Qi Refining. If Qin Yuan were to face him..."

"Chen Mo will be dealt with by others." Liu Feng sheathed his sword, the candlelight flickering in his eyes. "As for Qin Yuan—I want him to grovel like a dog in front of everyone."

child time.

Qin Yuan extracted his new ten years of cultivation on time.

This impact was exceptionally fierce. The barrier of the eleventh level of Qi Refining shattered in the face of the torrent after only half an hour, and spiritual energy surged into the twelfth level like a river bursting its banks.

But the moment he stepped into the twelfth floor, Qin Yuan suddenly felt a strange sense of emptiness.

It wasn't a lack of spiritual energy—on the contrary, the spiritual energy was so abundant it was almost bursting through the meridians.

Rather, it is an imperfection.

It's like a tall building with a flimsy foundation; it may look magnificent on the outside, but it lacks crucial support inside.

He stopped his charge and looked inward.

The twelfth level of Qi Refining is already considered the pinnacle of Qi Refining in conventional understanding.

The next step is Foundation Establishment—spiritual energy is liquefied, the dantian and qi sea are opened, and lifespan is increased by two hundred years.

But he always felt that he could go even further.

It's not Foundation Establishment. Rather... there seems to be an extremely thin, yet real, gap between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment.

"Extreme Realm".

The word popped into my mind without warning.

There is an ancient legend in the cultivation world that some exceptionally talented individuals can, after reaching the twelfth level of Qi Refining, open up another level with unparalleled perseverance, which is called "Extreme".

This realm is ethereal and rare, one in ten thousand, and is only mentioned sporadically in ancient books, which most people regard as mere hearsay.

But the spiritual energy within Qin Yuan's body was boiling and calling out. The twenty years of cultivation accumulated by the system were surging and colliding in his meridians, unwilling to stop there.

"Then let's give it a try."

Qin Yuan closed his eyes, no longer trying to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Instead, he forcibly pushed the surging spiritual power back into his meridians, repeatedly flushing, condensing, and compressing it.

Time passes little by little.

The sky outside the window changed from deep black to inky blue, and then showed signs of pale white.

Qin Yuan was soaked in sweat, his spiritual energy surging like a dragon beneath his skin, and his veins bulging.

He was undergoing a near-self-torturing process—forcibly suppressing the vast spiritual power that should have been used to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage back into the Qi Refining realm, in order to challenge that legendary "non-existent realm".

a moment.

It felt as if some kind of barrier inside my body had silently shattered.

It wasn't a thunderous roar signifying a breakthrough in one's cultivation, but rather a subtle, clear sound, like the shattering of glass.

Immediately afterwards, all the flowing spiritual energy suddenly stopped, and then began to collapse in the opposite direction, condensing inward.

Meridians, bones, flesh—every inch of it was trembling, undergoing some kind of fundamental transformation.

Qin Yuan opened his eyes.

His eyes were devoid of light, yet as deep as the starry sky. He slowly raised his hand, his five fingers loosely clenched, and the air in his palm emitted a "crackling" sound as if it were being squeezed by pure force—a sign that space was being compressed by pure power.

Qi Refining Level 13.

No, it's "extreme".

He felt a completely new power within him—not an increase in quantity, but a qualitative leap.

If the spiritual power of the twelfth level of Qi Refining is a surging river, then the power within his body at this moment is a silent deep sea, calm on the surface but containing terrifying power capable of destroying mountains and shattering peaks.

It is stronger than all the previous levels combined.

The morning light breaks through the window.

Qin Yuan got up, quickly washed up, and changed into a clean gray robe. The moment he pushed open the door, the rising sun fell on him, seemingly distorted slightly by some invisible force.

At Chen Shi (7-9 AM), at the martial arts training ground.

The ten members of the Third Peak had all arrived. Chen Mo stood at the front, his aura as steady as a mountain, emanating from the Great Perfection of the Twelfth Level of Qi Refining.

The other eight people also looked solemn, but when they looked at Qin Yuanshi, their gazes were complicated.

A whooshing sound came from afar.

Ten streaks of light landed, transforming into ten people from the Seventh Peak. The leader was a young man in blue robes, with a cold and stern face, whose aura was comparable to Chen Mo's—clearly also at the Great Perfection of the Twelfth Level of Qi Refining.

His gaze swept over the group from the Third Peak, lingering on Qin Yuan for a moment before a sneer curled at the corner of his lips: "The Third Peak is truly teeming with talent; they've even brought in outer disciples to make up the numbers."

The faces of the people on the Third Peak darkened.

A sharp-faced disciple standing beside the blue-robed youth immediately chimed in, "Senior Brother Li, you may not know, but this guy is a 'genius.' He went from the third to the tenth level of Qi Refining in just three days—oh, and I heard he broke through to the eleventh level yesterday? At that speed, he must have used some kind of evil life-burning technique, right?"

Laughter erupted from the Seventh Peak team.

On the third peak, Senior Brother Wang and the others had ashen faces. They were already dissatisfied with Qin Yuan, and being publicly ridiculed made them feel even more humiliated.

Chen Mo frowned, about to speak, but Qin Yuan stepped forward first.

"Whether it's an evil technique or not," he said calmly, looking at the sharp-faced disciple, "we'll only know after we've fought him."

The sharp-faced disciple sneered: "You? Eleventh level of Qi Refining—oh no, maybe you 'broke through' to the twelfth level today? What a pity, the realm you gained by burning your lifespan is as fragile as a piece of paper, it'll break with a single poke."

The laughter from the Seventh Peak group grew even louder.

Chen Mo took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said in a deep voice, "Let's draw lots."

The draw results came out quickly. Qin Yuan drew the seventh match, and his opponent was that sharp-faced disciple—the eleventh level of Qi Refining, but at the bottom of the seventh peak team.

"Not bad luck, you piece of trash." The sharp-faced disciple grinned, waving the lottery ticket in his hand. "Perfect timing for me to personally expose you, you paper tiger."

Qin Yuan ignored him and turned to walk towards the rest area.

A low voice came from behind: "Senior Brother Chen, how about... letting Qin Yuan go last? So that if he loses, it won't affect morale."

Chen Mo was silent for a moment, then looked at Qin Yuan: "What do you say?"

Qin Yuan continued walking: "Do as you please."

He walked to a corner, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to rest. It was as if all the noise, contempt, and hostility in the room had nothing to do with him.

As dawn broke, the array formations on the training ground shone brightly.

The competition has begun.